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2003

Anna Chasteen, the owner and operator of Carol Mary Apartments in downtown Phoenix agreed to pay $11,000 in June to settle a federal fair housing lawsuit. Chasteen will also submit to fair housing monitoring by the Arizona Fair Housing Center. The suit also named Ermil Chasteen and Willetta Investments, the corporate owner of the complex, as defendants.

Owner and agent cited safety concerns when refusing to rent to families with children

A group of homeowners from the town of Trent Woods, North Carolina will pay $7,000 to settle a lawsuit that it filed against the Town of Trent Woods and Carolina Choice, a group home operator. Carolina Choice countersued the homeowners alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act, North Carolina fair housing laws, and a North Carolina state law that recognizes the operation of group homes as residential use for zoning purposes.

A single mother from California won a $23,064 default judgment from a landlord who informed the woman that her children would not be able to play outside and subjected her to sexual comments and jokes during a tour of a rental house. The landlord made threats to countersue the plaintiff but never did.

The owners and managers of a California apartment complex have agreed to pay $85,000 to an African American family that was subjected to racial slurs and eviction. The settlement was reached after a March 25, 2003 mediation session.

Testing supported discrimination allegations

Paired tests by the Housing Rights Center supported the familys allegations. Unfortunately, the family had already been evicted.

The United States Supreme Court upheld an affirmative action policy at the University of Michigan Law School in a 5-4 decision on June 23, 2003. The law schools admission policy  at issue in Grutter v. Bollinger  used race as a factor to obtain a critical mass of minority students.

Low-income disabled residents of Chicago will have expanded housing choice as a result of a settlement agreement between Access Living of Chicago and the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) along with The Habitat Company.

The Village of Vinita Terrace, Missouri and its marshal will pay $40,000 to settle claims of racial discrimination brought by the United States Department of Justice. The June settlement will be divided among an African American man, a woman who attempted to sell her home to him, and two real estate agents.

Calvin Vinson is an African American man. In 1998, he and his real estate agent, Fannie Simpson, looked at a home in Vinita Terrace that Vinson intended to purchase as an investment property. Simpson is also African American.

The United States Department of Justice and officials from the city of Pooler, Georgia agreed to settle a federal racial discrimination lawsuit for $425,000 in affordable housing credits and $25,000 in cash to an affordable housing developer.

The owners of Golden Gate Trailer Park in Greenbrae, California have paid a $70,000 settlement in a case involving discrimination against Latinos. In addition, the Defendants in the case will attend fair housing training, post all vacancies at a community organization serving Latinos, provide translation services for prospective Spanish-speaking tenants, and distribute a nondiscrimination policy to all employees.

In December 1999, a white former tenant of the park, filed a fair housing complaint with the U.S.

Edward Danner, a disabled man with mobility impairments, settled a complaint against the owners and managers of Chambers Bridge Residences in Brick, New Jersey for $3,000. Danner repeatedly requested a reserved parking space but was denied.

In February 2001, Danner made a verbal request for a reserved parking space closer to his unit. He told Chambers Bridge management about his disabilities and his reasons for needing a parking space closer to his home. He also provided documentation from his doctor regarding his disabilities.